Rail-dressing apparatus



May a, 1924. 1,493,144

T. BROOKS RAIL DRESSING APPARATUS.

Filed March 20. 1923 7 FIG. 1'.

' 15' 14' H} FIG. 2

18 19 18 23 a Z6 17 11 23 17 O O 6 10 9 8 21 2a 23 as WITNESSES r INVENTOR 777mm 3m:

Patented May 6, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlCE THOMAS BROOKS, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE WOODS-GILBERT RAIL REMODELLING (30., LTD., OF LONDON, ENGLAND, A BRITISH CORPORATION.

RAIL-DRESSING APPARATUS.

Application filed March 20, 1923. Serial No. 626,398.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, THOMAS London, in the Kingdom of England, have invented a new and useful Rail-Dressing Apparatus, of which the following is a speci-.

ficatl'on.

My invention relates to portable raildressing apparatus in which a grinding wheel is freely carried by suspending links;-

and the objects of this invention are, first, to provide a stationary frame forming a trailing stand for a suspended rotary and longitudinally travelling and self-centering grinding wheel; second, to provide means connected with said stand for firmly supporting same in the stationary position over a rail; third. to provide the said stand with means for vertically adjusting the position of the grinding wheel with relation to the stand; fourth, to provide the said stand with means for imparting travelling motion to the grinding wheel; fifth, to provide means for rotating the grinding wheel; and sixth, to provide means for clamping the said stand to the rail being treated in situ; seventh, to adopt electro-magnetic devices for securing said stand in operative position.

I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in. which:--

Figure l is a face view of a practical embodiment of this invention; Fig. 2 is a face view of a modified embodiment of the invention; and Fig. 3 is a plan corresponding to Fig. 2.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The apparatus shown in Fig. 1 comprises a beam 1 having bearing blocks 2, 3 forming journals for the screw threaded rotary spindle 4 fitted with a handwheel or handwheels 5. The spindle 4 serves for operating two travelling screw blocks 6, 7 carrying depending lever arms 8 connected to the bearing 9 for the grinding wheel 10. The blocks 6, 7 are arranged for easy engagement with and disengagement from the screwspindle 4 such as exists in lathes. The said blocks are permanently connected together by a short spacing screw-spindle 11 having right and left hand screw-threads and an operating crank 12 for vertically regulating the pressure of the grinding Wheel 10 V V upon a ra-iltogbe treated. Obviously, in

BRooKs, a subject of the King of England, residing at.

suitably spacing the blocks 6 and 7 by means of the spindle 11.,the arms8 will follow the movement and thereby cause a correspond means,.whereby they cantake a firm; holdlon the'rails orin their desired position under the influence of the electric current which serves to energize the electro-magnets when the grinding. wheel 10 is brought into action. A lever 15 maybe fitted in any known. manner to keep the feet 14 or the likein position. Current can be supplied from any suitable source for the rotation of the axle of the grinding disc, and the latter is moved forward and rearward along the screw spindle 4 by the handwheels 5 until the rail is sufliciently treated.

According to the slightly modified construction shown at Figs. 2 and 3, the beam takes the form of two parallel rods or other longitudinal members 16 provided with transverse members 17 forming bearings for the rotary screw spindle 4:. The longitudinal members 16 also carry slides forming the bearings or travelling screw-blocks 18 for the spacing screw spindle 11 which has right and left hand screw-threads and a handwheel 19 for adjusting the pressure of thearms 8 on the bearing 9 of the grinding wheel 10, similarly to the parts shown in Fig. 1. The grinding wheel 10 is driven, as previously stated, by electric current from a suitable source arranged to drive the axle 20 of the said grinding wheel. The axle 20 is fitted with a pulley 21 connected by a belt or chain 22 to a, pulley wheel 23 mounted on a spindle 23 carrying a worm 2d driving a worm wheel 25 gearing with the screw spindle 4:. By these means it is possible to obtain automatic travel to and fro of the grinding wheel 10 on said spindle 4. Any known reversing gear may be provided for returning the grinding wheel 10 and its appended mechanism at reaching the endof travel upon the longitudinal members 16.

The longitudinal members 16 are connected with or may form at their ends the cores of powerful electro-magnets 13 with their lower ends adapted to firmly grip the rail when current is switched on, as explained with reference to Fig. 1. For steadying the 1. A portable self-centeringrail-dressing apparatus comprising a stationary frame,

electric-magnetic devices for securing the frame in its operative posltlon, sllding blocks carried by the frame, means for spacing said blocks in'relation to each other, a-grinding wheel suspended from said blocks, and means-mounted on said frame for imparting travelling motion to the blocks carrying the grinding wheel.

2. A portable rail-dressing apparatus comprising a self-centering stationary frame, blocks fixed at the ends on the frame, electro-magnetic devices connected with the fixed blocks, clamping feet connected with and actuated by the electro-magnets, a screwspindle mounted in said blocks, slidesmounted on the frame and receiving travelling motion from the screw-spindle, means for spacing'the slides, pivotal arms attached to the slides, and a grinding wheel carried by said arms.

3. A portable rail-dressing apparatus comprising a self-centering stationary frame, blocks fixed at the ends of the frame, a screw-spindle mounted in said blocks, sublocated electro-magnets connected with the blocks, a pair of spaced slides seated on'said frame and operatively connected with the screw spindle, a spacing screw-spindle in engagement with said slides, pivotal depending arms secured to the sides of the slides, an axle journalled in the arms, a grinding Wheel fast on the axle, and combined driving gear for simultaneously rotating the grinding wheel and imparting travelling motion to said slides.

4. A portable rail dressing apparatus comprising a' self-centering stationery frame, end blocks rigidly fixed to the frame, electro-magnets fast to the lower end of the blocks, clamping feet attached to the cores of the electro-magnets, a transverse beam fixed to oneof said blocks, a third electromagnet and clamping foot carried bythe beam and spaced from the side of the frame, a rotary and travelling grinding wheel supported by the frame, and means for adjusting said wheel relatively to the frame.

THOMAS BROOKS. 

